EU Policy Facilitates Israeli Crimes - No to Lisbon

IFPAL member arrested over "offensive" No To Lisbon sign outside Israeli Embassy.

Earlier today Friday 18th September, Sean Clinton, a member of the anti-Lisbon campaign group Irish Friends of Palestine Against Lisbon (IFPAL) was arrested outside the Israeli Embassy in Dublin. His "crime" was erecting an IFPAL sign calling for a 'No' vote in the Lisbon Referendum.

Speaking of his ordeal, Mr. Clinton said: "This is a blatant denial of freedom of speech as enshrined in the Irish Constitution, another example of an abuse of power to shelter Israel from legitimate criticism over its disgusting treatment of the Palestinian people. It also represents a direct undemocratic interference by a foreign state, Israel, in a national referendum to amend the Irish Constitution.

Mr. Clinton continued: "Furthermore, the fact that the Gardai didn't examine the evidence or ask questions about the alleged "offensive and abusive" nature of the IFPAL sign and just took the word of the Israeli Embassy on face value raises some uncomfortable questions.

Mr. Clinton concluded: However, if the sign's content is indeed offensive, then that is no ones fault except for the State of Israel and their genocidal practices! What the sign says is true - you don't have to take my word for it, one just has to look at the human rights reports that have come out recently - notably the Goldstone Report".

This is the second arrest of a member of IFPAL in the run up to the Lisbon vote. On Saturday 19th August, Tommy Donnellan was arrested in Galway City while campaigning against Lisbon. He arrested at the behest of a couple of irate Zionist tourists who took umbrage with the message displayed on the IFPAL sign. He was later released without charge. Full details of this incident can be read at http://www.indymedia.ie/article/93845 and http://mondoweiss.net/2009/08/suppression-of-free-speec....html (report by an independent Canadian by-stander Geoffrey V. Gray)